#824.} 
other door, and.no bolts are so heavy 
that they do not spring back at his ap- 
proach. He frequently rides through 
iIbsgaard, in Oddsherred ;.and there is 
in Roskilde a house where the doors 
are now always left standing open 
during the night; for, previously to 
that, he frequently broke the locks. to 
pieces. In certain places, it frequently 
happens that he takes his course over 
the house, and in the neighbourhood 
of Herlufsholm there is a cottage 
whose roof is in the middle consider- 
ably sunk, because he has passed over 
it. In North Zealand he has another 
Gurra, in which stand some . ruins, 
which are called Waldemar’s Castle. 
it is bere customary for tbe old women, 
on the eve of St. John’s day, to station 
themselves in the paths, and to open 
the gates for him. Half a mile from 
Gurra lies Wolmar’s height, surround- 
ed by water. According to tradition, 
six black monks, mumbling psalms, 
pass Slowly every midnight across the 
island. Between Soellerood and Noe- 
rum, he hunts with bis hounds and 
horses along a road which takes its 
name from him. 
When he has thus made a circuit, 
he reposes himself. by tarns in all the 
princely residences scattered through 
the country. He takes particular 
pleasure in stopping at Vailoe-bargh, 
where there is achamber appropriated 
to lim, in which stand two beds; in 
the same apartment are likewise two 
strong chests, which, being once open- 
ed, were found to be filled with small 
round pieces of leather, “for better 
money there was not in King Walde- 
mar’s days.” A subterranean passage 
connects Valloe-burgh with Tallose- 
gaard, in the bailiwick of Holbeck: 
here he likewise has asleeping-room, 
and maideus and people, dressed in 
the fashion of the times when he lived, 
are frequently seen making the beds. 
A countryman, who would not believe 
that the king came by night to this 
place, had the audacity to keep watch 
there; but, about midnight, the spec- 
tre-monarch entered, saluted him in a 
friendly manner, and said, ‘I will re- 
ward you for this kind visit,’ and at 
the, same time chucked him a gold 
cvin; but, when the fellow caught at 
it, it burnt a round hole through his 
hand, and fell, to, the ground a fiery 
coal. We may easily judge what he 
suffered from, this fiendish gift. But 
it frequently, happens, that when old 
men ov women have for many hours 
Danish Traditions and Superstitions. 
21 
held the phantom’s hounds, he casts 
something to them, which looks like 
a coal, and is therefore generally 
disregarded; but, if it be picked up 
and examined, it is found to consist 
of the purest gold. 
The following is one of this remark- 
able personages adventures :— 
Late at eve they were toiling on Harribee 
bank, 
For in harvest men ne’er should be idle, 
Towards them rode Waldemar, meagre 
and Jank, 
And he linger’d, and drew up his bridle, 
‘+ Success to your labour, and have ye to- 
night 
Seen any thing pass ye while reaping ?” 
“ Yes, yes,” said a peasant, “1 saw some -— 
? p ’ 
thing white 
Just pow through the 
creeping.” 
“ Which way did it go?”—* Why, me; 
thought to the beach.” 
Then off went Waldemar bounding ; 
A few moments after they heard a faint 
screech, 
And the horn of the hunter resounding. 
corn-stubble 
Then back came he, laughing in horrible 
ione, 
And the blood in their veins ran the 
colder, 
When they saw that a fresh-slaaghter’d 
mermaid was thrown 
Athwart his proud 
shoulder. 
Said he, “TI have chas’d her for seven- 
score years, 
As she landed to drink at the fountains.” 
No more did he deign to their terrified 
ears, 
But gallop’d away to the mountains. 
The Sunken Castle. 
In the neighbourhood of Lunden- 
borg is a lake, the bottom of which 
no one living has ever yet been able to 
find, and concerning this same lake 
goes a very strange story. Many cen- 
turies ago there stood, in the same 
place where the lake now is, a large 
old castle. There is no other trace re- 
maining of it now than a carriage- 
way, which formerly led to the castle- 
gate, but which loses itself now beneath 
the waters of the lake. This is the 
story :—It happened one Sunday even- 
ing, when the master was from home, 
that the servants of the castle were 
drinking and amusing themselves; and 
they carried their pastime so far, that 
they took a swine from the sty, dex- 
terously dressed it up, put a hat upon 
its head, and laid it in their master’s 
bed. When this was done, they dis- 
patched 
barb’s dappled 
